Tuesday brought a mixed final chapter for the former Iowa players in Salt Lake City Summer League, with one Hawkeye alum carrying the scoring load, another flashing efficient shot-making, and two others finishing on very different notes.
The Oklahoma City Thunder and Memphis Grizzlies wrapped up their schedules at the Jon M. Huntsman Center, and the four former Iowa basketball stars in action - Bennett Stirtz, Payton Sandfort, Josh Dix, and Brendan Hausen - each left behind a distinct line from the night.
Hausen was the brightest offensive presence of the bunch. Even in Memphis’ 96-82 loss to the Atlanta Hawks, he finished with 21 points, going 5-for-13 from the field, 5-for-11 from 3-point range, and a perfect 3-for-3 at the line. He also added two assists and one rebound in 27:59.
Dix turned in the most efficient outing among the former Hawkeyes. In Oklahoma City’s 103-69 loss to the Utah Jazz, he scored 16 points on 6-for-9 shooting and hit 4 of 6 from deep.
He also chipped in four rebounds, two assists, and a block while logging 24:26. For the 6-foot-6 guard, Tuesday night's showing should be enough to generate some intrigue in the mind of Thunder general manager Sam Presti.
Sandfort’s night went in the opposite direction. After erupting for 25 points on Monday, he couldn’t find the same rhythm against Utah and finished scoreless, missing all nine of his shots and all seven of his 3-point tries. He still contributed four rebounds, three assists, and a steal in 19:21.
Stirtz did not play. He was one of four Oklahoma City players held out against the Jazz as the Thunder chose to spread minutes around the roster.
The next stop for all four former Hawkeyes is Las Vegas, Nev., where the NBA Summer League runs from July 9-19 and the other 28 teams join the field.
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